What camera would be best for me when it comes to color grading?

[Ryan Elder]

Oh well I was going to use a large location. Since it is a chase and stand off scene, I was going to shoot in a large location for that, where there would be room for a few telephoto shots. I didn't want every shot to be a telephoto shot, just a few during the chase and the more suspenseful moments, during it.

But I can do force perspective, for those shots, if that's better.

[Brian Drysdale]

Use whatever works in a particular circumstance or dramatic moment.

[Paul R Johnson]

You also seem to be using terms very oddly. Suddenly we stop talking about compression and start talking about perspective. Your ‘compression’ is just one artefact of different perspectives. Compression or foreshortening is a feature you can use or not, a choice. I simply don’t understand why you hear a phrase, talk about it as essential and then use a clip that shows it used poorly. Can you not see the problems with it? With single camera operation surely this is a blocking task and a sensible lens. You mentioned emotion. The use of a long lens doesn’t create emotion, ever! The composition and the acting, script and location create emotion. The camera and lens just collect it intact and can enhance it. In your clip the only emotion generated is the awkwardness of the shot. Given a small budget to buy glass, long lenses are bottom of my list in usefulness.

[Brian Drysdale]

Forced perspective is more an art direction thing, commonly used on sets to make them look bigger, when they're constructed in a smaller studio.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_perspective

Or fooling the viewer regarding the relative size of objects.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh well as far as using the term oddly, I know what it is, and how it is used, it's just the DP used it describe faking the compression and said the term was forced perspective, and he was applying it to this as well.

If the telephoto lenses don't add anything, what if for the shot of the gunman's face, I just use a close up of the face, but with the camera close to the face, so you don't have to see the gun? Like this:

extreme close up test 2 - YouTube

Just cut to a close up of the face, but don't see the gun in front of it. Would this be a better choice?

[Brian Drysdale]

I think this is an editing decision regarding if you cut to the gun and then the BCU..

You're asking for us to comment on what is a really poor set of shots that you keep repeating.

You're the director, it's up to you to decide if these work within the context of your scene,

It's a scene that we know nothing about.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay. I was told by one other so far that the shot looks weird cause we need to see the gun in front of the face in order to tell there is one, otherwise it looks confusing.

If that's the case, then I will have to get the gun in front of the face during a close up of the face, which means either forced perspective or a much longer lens then it seems... If he is right that it would look confusing without seeing the gun. I was only calling it forced perspective though, cause that is the term the DP used, if that is correct.

[Paul R Johnson]

Surely if you need the face with the gun you just adjust the actor and camera position to make it work. Why do you need to create something that doesn’t really need creating. This would be a good use of a storyboard frame? You need the audience to see the detail in the face and to know he has a gun? Can this be two shots rather than something contrived and weird looking? Like in the closeup he drops his eyes down to reveal in the next shot, the gun held in his hand. Nicer to watch.

[Brian Drysdale]

If the gun is established in a wider shot the audience will know where and how the gun is being held.

A forced perspective shot would have a larger version of the gun made by the art department in the foreground instead of the real gun.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh I was just told that if I show a close up of the face without the gun in front of it, that it's confusing, cause now the audience is going to ask, where did the gun go, or at least that is what I was told. Does it look like that in the clip I posted?

The gun is there in front of him in the wide shot, but then you don't see in it in the close up? Does that cause confusion?

[Brian Drysdale]

No, not if it appears that you're closer than the gun.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay then. Cool. I can either do that and move closer than the gun, or have the gun in front of the face, and used forced perspective then.

Another thing is, it was said on here before, that even if the scene is well light, I will still need fast lenses just in case. However, the DP asked, said that fast lenses would be a mistake for horror/action scenes, cause I am going to want more DOF when there is a lot of action going on.

Does he have a point, or should I just use fast lenses, and live with all shallow DOF during the action scenes then?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

No he isn’t right. The iris on a fast lens can be closed down just as much as a slow lens so it’s very flexible where as a slow lens can’t be opened up in low light. We’ve already been over this.

You’re also constantly doing things at cross purposes. You insist on shooting with super telephotos for it’s ability to compress but it also yields a shallow dof. You then insist you want deep focus. While closing down the iris will increase the dof it will still yield a relatively shallow dof.

You keep insisting you need compression, but I’ve explained it’s unnecessary especially the way you are mis using it. You haven’t given a good reason to use compression.You have very bad instincts when comes to visual story telling. What you keep showing us looks disjointed and bad. All you can think about is compression all the while you are failing at the basics.

Stop with this compression nonsense!

[Brian Drysdale]

Don't you read the messages in this thread?

Fast lenses has been answered earlier in the thread,

[Ryan Elder]

Yes I know, I guess I am just scared to use them because of such shallow DOF to work with, but will try get more comfortable. Plus I feel it would make the focus puller's job a lot harder, and I want to make it easier.